RIM appoints chief marketing officer, chief operating officer

Research In Motion Ltd.’s long search for an executive to take charge of its oft-maligned marketing efforts has come to an end.

The company said Tuesday it has appointed Frank Boulben, who was most recently vice-president of strategy, marketing and sales for U.S. wireless broadband network company LightSquared, to the role of chief marketing officer.

It also appointed Kristian Tear, formerly executive vice-president at Sony Mobile Communications, to chief operating officer.

RIM has been on the hunt to fill former chief marketing officer Keith Pardy’s role since he resigned in March 2011.

Thorsten Heins, who took over as chief executive at the Waterloo, Ont.-based company in January, has been under pressure to fill the position as he works to turn the company’s fortunes around and proceed with the long-awaited rollout of the BlackBerry 10 platform on its smartphones.

‘Frankly, RIM’s marketing and messaging has been a disaster’

Mr. Boulben addressed the new platform in a statement Tuesday.

“We all know how fast the mobile arena evolves and with the BlackBerry 10 platform, I believe RIM will once again change the way individuals and enterprises engage with each other and the world around them. I could not resist the opportunity to be part of that transformation,” he said.

In the months since Mr. Pardy’s departure, the company has faced frequent criticism for marketing missteps.

Its campaign to launch its supposed iPad killer,the BlackBerry PlayBook, fell flat when it focused on the device’s use of Adobe Flash technology, something lacking in Apple Inc.’s nonetheless wildly popular device.

RIM has struggled to differentiate its products and has been accused of confusing customers with a raft of BlackBerry Bold and Curve devices featuring different four-digit extensions. Last week the company admitted it was behind an Australian campaign that involved mock protesters urging Apple customers to “Wake Up.” The marketing effort led up to an underwhelming “reveal” on Monday of a website featuring scrolling white text on a black background with an Australian voiceover.

The company stumbled during its marquee event last week, its BlackBerry World developers conference in Orlando, Fla., when it revealed prototype devices running on its long-awaited BlackBerry 10 platform featuring touch screens rather than the full keyboards its devices are known for.

Related

Many pointed out the disconnect between the unveiling of a touch-sensitive device at the same time as the company was heavily running a television commercial featuring Meridith Valinando, a music tour promoter who said she couldn’t do without a physical keyboard. “Try writing 1,000 emails on a touch screen,” she said in the ad.

“Frankly, RIM’s marketing and messaging has been a disaster,” Colin Gillis, a technology analyst with BGC Partners in New York, said in reaction to the appointment. “The company has strengths, but they have not done a good job of bringing those out to the marketplace.”

Mr. Gillis said he expects the new marketing chief will work to create more cohesive identities for the various BlackBerry 10 devices, while also playing up BlackBerry’s existing strengths. He cautioned the revamp is likely to be a “multi-year turnaround effort.”

The company has been looking for a single chief operating officer since the departure of Jim Rowan, who was COO of global operations. Mr. Rowan left in late March, the same day it said former co-CEO Jim Balsillie was stepping down from the board.

At one point the company had three COOs — one of them Mr. Heins — but said in March it planned to find one person to take on a consolidated role. RIM said Tuesday Mr. Tear’s position will include managing “all operational functions” for the company’s mobile devices and services, its research and development and global sales, manufacturing and supply chain.

Whether the new hires can turn the company’s fortunes around or not, RIM investors are looking for a little good news after the stock slipped about 16% in three days last week.

RIM’s shares did get a little bump from news of the appointments, rising up to 3% at times during the day and closing at $12 on the Toronto Stock Exchange, a modest gain of 25¢.